Incoming Vancouver council plans to protect renters and raise the empty homes tax
The Globe and Mail reports that the new council, dominated by COPE and Green Party members, plans to focus its first months on tenant protections and renter policies.
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The Globe and Mail reported on October 30 that Vancouver's incoming City Council is expected to put renter concerns at the centre of its first term. The new council, which takes office on November 2, has four COPE members, five Green Party members including mayor-elect Pete Fry, one OneCity councillor, and one ABC councillor.
COPE councillor Solomon Yi-Kieran, 21, told the Globe and Mail: "We want to be protecting people from eviction and from renoviction." Before the vote, Yi-Kieran committed to tripling the empty homes tax from its current 3% to 9%, creating a landlord registry, and restoring the Renters Office with stronger enforcement power. Those commitments are in his tracker on this site.
Green Party councillor Stephanie Smith told the Globe and Mail that the Broadway Plan has contributed to housing insecurity. "The city has approached development and redevelopment in a way that creates profound housing insecurity for thousands and thousands of Vancouver tenants," she said. Smith's pre-election platform includes a proposal to use a rapid acquisition fund to buy older rental buildings before they are redeveloped.
What COPE and the Greens have promised
COPE's four councillors ran on a set of renter-focused policies. Beyond tripling the empty homes tax, the party proposed closing loopholes that allow new condos to sit vacant, a landlord registry that tracks rents and records complaints, and a formal tenant protection bylaw to block displacement. These were campaign commitments, and the council has not yet voted on any of them.
The Green Party's housing platform includes a Vancouver Public Housing Bond to raise money for affordable housing built on City-owned land, open to institutional investors. The Greens also proposed the rapid acquisition fund for older rental buildings, and changes to the pace at which redevelopment can displace existing tenants.
What a developer said
The Globe and Mail quoted David Woo, a vice president at Starlight Investments, which has rental housing projects in British Columbia including units in Vancouver. He said project returns are already thin and that additional costs risk making redevelopment impossible. He also said there is room for agreement, adding that he hoped the council recognized housing affordability involves both supply and what it costs to build.
What this means for renters in Vancouver
The new council takes office on November 2, 2026. Renters who want to follow whether the promised protections move forward can track the councillors' commitments on this site. If the council votes on housing policy, the tracker at /candidates/solomon-yi-kieran and /candidates/stephanie-smith will show which promises led to action and which did not.
Questions this story answers
What renter protections is the new Vancouver City Council planning?
The Globe and Mail reports the incoming council is expected to focus on renter concerns from its first days in office. COPE councillors have campaigned on tripling the empty homes tax from 3% to 9%, creating a landlord registry, restoring a fully funded Renters Office with enforcement power, and introducing a formal tenant protection bylaw. These are campaign promises the COPE members made before the vote, and the party won four council seats on October 17.
What has Solomon Yi-Kieran said about his plans for renters?
Solomon Yi-Kieran, Vancouver's youngest elected councillor at 21, told the Globe and Mail: 'We want to be protecting people from eviction and from renoviction.' Before the vote, Yi-Kieran committed to tripling the empty homes tax, creating a landlord registry, and restoring the Renters Office. Those commitments are recorded in his tracker on this site at /candidates/solomon-yi-kieran.
What did Stephanie Smith say about the Broadway Plan and renters?
Stephanie Smith, a newly elected Green Party councillor, told the Globe and Mail: 'The city has approached development and redevelopment in a way that creates profound housing insecurity for thousands and thousands of Vancouver tenants.' She named the Broadway Plan specifically. Smith's tracker at /candidates/stephanie-smith records her pre-election promise to use a rapid acquisition fund to buy older rental buildings before they are redeveloped.
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's housing bond proposal?
Before the election, the Green Party of Vancouver proposed a Vancouver Public Housing Bond that would raise money for housing built on City-owned land. The bond would be open to institutional investors at a modest return. This was part of the party's 2026 housing platform, recorded in Stephanie Smith's campaign promises. Whether the new council takes this proposal forward will depend on the full council's votes.
What is the new Vancouver City Council's composition?
The October 17 vote produced a council with four COPE members, five Green Party members including mayor-elect Pete Fry, one OneCity councillor, and one ABC councillor. COPE and the Greens together hold 9 of the 10 non-mayoral seats. The new council takes office on November 2, 2026.
How does the developer community view the incoming council's housing plans?
The Globe and Mail quoted David Woo, a vice president at Starlight Investments, a company developing rental housing in British Columbia. He said project returns are already thin and extra costs risk making redevelopment financially impossible. He also expressed cautious optimism, saying he hoped the new council recognized housing affordability involves both supply and the cost of building.
When does the new Vancouver City Council take office?
The new council takes office on Monday, November 2, 2026. Pete Fry is mayor-elect and has named Sean Orr as deputy mayor and Rebecca Bligh to lead his transition team. Councillors Solomon Yi-Kieran and Stephanie Smith are among those taking seats for the first time.
Where can I follow what the new council actually does on housing?
This site's promise tracker records what each elected councillor committed to before the vote. You can follow Solomon Yi-Kieran's housing promises at /candidates/solomon-yi-kieran and Stephanie Smith's at /candidates/stephanie-smith. As the council votes on housing policy, the tracker will be updated to show which promises moved forward and which did not.
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